Lesson video

Hello, my name is Mr. Womack, and I'm really excited to be learning with you today.

And I just have a feeling that we're going to do brilliantly.

Today's lesson is called The Calling of Abraham, from the unit, The Bible: What Does It Say About God's Promises? By the end of the lesson, you will be able to explain what Christians might learn from the story of Abraham.

These are the key words we're going to be using.

We're going to practise saying them together.

I'm going to say them first, and then you're going to have a go.

Trust.

Trust.

Belief in the strength or truth of a person or thing.

Covenant.

Covenant.

A solemn promise.

Obedience.

Obedience.

To follow commands or instructions.

Look out for these keywords as we go through the activities in this session.

Here's the lesson outline.

In the first part of the lesson, we're going to look at why did Abraham move to a new land? In the second part of the lesson, we're going to look at what might Christians learn from Abraham? So now we're going to start with, why did Abraham move to a new land? Aisha and Jacob are talking about moving house.

Aisha says, "When we moved house, it took a long time to pack up all our things.

I had to sort out all my toys and put them into boxes." Well, if you've ever had to move house, you probably had a similar experience too.

It can take a really long time to pack up all your things to be ready to move.

Jacob says, "I felt sad to be leaving our old house, but I was looking forward to having a room to myself when we moved into our new house." Aisha and Jacob are thinking about how they feel about change.

Aisha says, "Sometimes change can be difficult.

I was very worried about moving up into a new class in September.

When we got there, the teacher was kind and I soon got used to the new classroom." Jacob says, "Sometimes it is exciting to go somewhere you have not been to before.

I like it when we go on a school trip and we can explore a new place." So sometimes change can be a bit of a scary thing, it can be difficult, but actually some really good things can come from it.

How do you feel about going to new places? Pause the video whilst you think about that question.

Aisha explains why we use stories in religious education.

She says, "We can better understand people's worldviews by listening to their important stories and thinking about the deeper meaning of these stories.

We can also look at the difference stories make to people today." In this lesson, we will be using a story about Abraham to help us understand Christian worldviews.

So, let's stop now and try a quick question.

Why do we use stories in religious education? Is the answer, A, stories can help us understand people's worldviews? Is it, B, stories can have meaningful pictures? Or is it, C, stories can be very old? Pause the video while you think, which one of these is the right answer? The right answer is A.

We use stories in religious education because stories can help us understand people's worldviews.

Well done if you got the right answer.

Now it's time to learn about the story of Abraham.

Abraham was a good man.

He owned many sheep and cattle.

He lived with his wife Sarah in the land of Harran.

They had no children.

One day God spoke to Abraham and said to him, "Abraham, I want you to pack up all your belongings and leave your home.

I want you to go to the land I will give you." Abraham would have to leave the place he knew and go to a place he didn't know.

It was not an easy move to make.

Abraham was 75 years old when God told him to pack up everything he owned and leave his home.

It was scary, but Abraham trusted God, and so he did as God asked.

Abraham took his wife, Sarah, and his nephew, Lot.

They packed up their belongings and gathered up the servants and all the animals.

They set off from Harran and headed to Canaan, the place where God was leading him.

It was such a long way to go, but Canaan was said to be a beautiful place.

There were cows and goats there, and bees to make honey, and plenty of grass for the animals.

Let's pause the story there and try a true or false question.

Abraham stayed where he was and did not move.

Pause the video while you think, is this true or false, and why? The answer is false.

Abraham was obedient.

He followed God's instructions to move to a new place.

Well done if you got the right answer.

Let's get back to the story.

Many years later, God spoke to Abraham again.

He said, "Abraham, look up at the stars in the sky.

Do you see how many there are? One day, you will have a son.

He will have children, and his children will have children, and they will have more children, and one day your descendants will be as hard to count as all the stars in the sky.

Now, look down at the ground.

One day you will have more descendants than the grains of sand under your feet." Abraham laughed and said, "How can this be? I am old.

My wife is old.

We are much too old to have children." But God said, "I promise that I will bless you and make your family into a great nation.

You will make your home in the land I will give you, and I will be with you in all you do.

Because of you, all the families of the earth will be blessed." Well, that was an amazing promise.

But Abraham trusted God.

He believed in God's promise, and God was pleased with Abraham's faith.

That is why the land of Canaan is called the promised land.

It is the land God promised to Abraham and to his children, and Abraham trusted God to keep his promises.

Well, what a fantastic story.

I love the story of Abraham.

So let's check our understanding with a quick question.

What did God promise to Abraham? Was it, A, that he would never have to move again, B, that he would be the father of a great nation, or C, that he would be able to count the stars? Pause the video while you think which one of these is the correct answer? The answer is B, God promised Abraham that he would be the father of a great nation.

Well done if you got that one right.

A solemn promise is sometimes called a vow or a covenant.

A covenant is often marked by a symbol or signature.

The symbol is a lasting sign to show that the covenant was agreed by everyone at the time.

You can see there a picture of two rings, and these are often used in marriages to show a covenant between two people.

Let's check our understanding with a quick true or false question.

A covenant is like a solemn promise.

Is this true or false? So, pause the video while you consider if this is true or false, and why.

The answer is true.

A covenant is a solemn agreement or promise.

It is often marked with a symbol such as a ring to act as a reminder.

Well done if you got the right answer.

Here's Fergus.

Fergus has a Christian worldview.

He attends an Anglican church.

He says, "Thousands of years ago, God made a very solemn promise to a man called Abraham.

The promise was called a covenant.

You can read about God's covenant with Abraham in the Old Testament part of the Bible." Here's Tia.

Tia has a Christian worldview.

She attends a Methodist church.

Tia says, "The story of Abraham is important to Jews and Christians.

God called Abraham and told him to move to a new place.

It was a special place promised to Abraham and his family by God." Time for another true or false question.

True or false, the story of Abraham is only important to Jews? Pause the video while you think, is this question true or false, and why? The answer is false.

The story of Abraham is important to Jews and Christians.

It is in the Old Testament and the Torah.

Well done if you got that answer correct.

Here's Fergus again.

Fergus explains why Abraham moved to a new land.

Fergus says, "Abraham trusted God and wanted to be obedient.

He packed up everything and took his wife, his nephew, and all their animals and belongings to the new place.

The new place was called the promised land because God promised to give it to Abraham." Let's check our understanding again.

Why was the new place called the promised land? Was it because, A, the land was beautiful, B, the land was a long way away, or C, the land was given to Abraham by God? Pause the video now while you think which one is the correct answer? The correct answer is C, the land was given to Abraham by God.

Well done if you got the right answer.

It's time for a task now.

Write a speech bubble to show how Abraham could be feeling as he moves to a new place.

You'll want to pause the video here whilst you complete this task.

I look forward to seeing what you put.

Well done for completing that task.

You might have said something like this: "I am feeling worried about moving to a new place.

It will be hard work travelling such a long way with all my animals and belongings.

I am moving because I trust God and he promised to give me a beautiful new land to live in." Well done for putting in lots of effort to complete that task.

So that means that we finished the first part of our lesson on why did Abraham move to a new land? We're now moving on to the second part where we look at what might Christians learn from Abraham? Let's get started.

The calling of Abraham is a very ancient story.

It is still read by Christians today.

Christians read the story and interpret it.

This means they will find deeper meanings to help them understand the world.

They may find different deeper meanings in the story throughout their lives.

Listening to different Christians helps us to understand Christian worldviews better.

Time for a true or false.

All Christians will find the same deeper meaning in the story of Abraham.

Pause the video whilst you consider is the answer true or false, and why? The answer is false.

The story of Abraham has many deeper meanings.

Christians may find different meanings in the story at different times in their lives.

Well done if you got the right answer.

Back to Fergus.

Fergus explains what he learns from Abraham.

Fergus says, "Abraham trusted God's promise that he and his family would live in a beautiful land that God would show them.

The story of Abraham teaches me to be obedient to God's calling, even if I can't see the way ahead." Fergus is thinking about change in his own life.

He says, "When I finished school, I was not sure what to do.

I remembered how Abraham was obedient to God's call, even though he did not know where it would take him.

I decided to travel to the holy island of Iona.

It was life changing for me.

I left everything behind and started all over again in a new place.

I ended up staying and I'm now working as a volunteer on the island." So, reflecting on that, which of these words is the best definition of obedience? Is the answer, A, following commands or instructions, B, believing in the strength or truth of someone, or C, making an important promise? Pause the video whilst you think, which of these words is the best definition of obedience? The answer is, A, obedience is following commands or instructions.

Well done if you got the right answer.

Tia is at secondary school.

She says, "God promised that Abraham would be the father of a great nation.

All the people on earth will be blessed because of Abraham's faith and trust." Tia is thinking about the story of Abraham.

She continues and says, "The story of Abraham teaches me that trusting God is not always easy.

I think it was difficult for Abraham to believe that God would keep his covenant, especially because when Abraham was old and did not have any children when the covenant was made." Tia is thinking about how she plans for the future.

Tia says, "I need to make choices about what subjects to study in the future.

I don't know what job I want to do when I grow up.

The story of Abraham teaches me to be patient and trust God.

It reminds me to spend time praying and listening to God, just as Abraham did." So let's try a quick question.

Which of these words is the best definition of trust? Is it, A, following commands or instructions, B, believing in the strength or truth of someone, or C, making an important promise? Pause the video whilst you consider which of these words is the best definition of trust.

The correct answer is B, believing in the strength or truth of someone.

Well done if you got that answer.

It's time for a task now.

Jacob is thinking about what Christians might learn from the story of Abraham.

Jacob says, "I think all Christians will find exactly the same deeper meaning in the story of Abraham." Do you agree with Jacob? Use Tia and Fergus's deeper meanings to help you explain.

You're going to want to pause the video now whilst you complete this task.

I look forward to seeing what you put.

I wonder what you put.

You might have said something like this: Jacob is incorrect.

Tia and Fergus found different meanings in the story of Abraham.

Tia said the story teaches her to trust God, even when it is not easy to see what will happen in the future.

Fergus said the story teaches him to be obedient to God's instructions, even though it might mean going somewhere new.

Well done for putting effort into completing that task.

So that brings us to the end of our lesson today.

Let's summarise and reflect on what we've learned.

We found out that God called Abraham to follow him and move to the land of Canaan, which became known as the promised land.

That God made a covenant with Abraham and promised that he would be the father of a great nation.

Many Christians today find themes of trust and obedience in the calling of Abraham.

And we can better understand Christian worldviews by examining the deeper meanings of the calling of Abraham.

So we've finished our lesson today.

I'm really proud of how hard you've worked, and I really look forward to working with you again next time.

Bye for now.